


Debrief

by NewbSombrero



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: After S4E15: First Contact, Gen, Male Sexual Assault Survivor, Past Sexual Assault, Therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:54:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23691181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NewbSombrero/pseuds/NewbSombrero
Summary: Commander Riker had expected challenges on Malcor III, but there was one he never saw coming.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 24





	Debrief

**Author's Note:**

> I’m not gonna get into all of the ethical issues with Troi being Riker’s therapist, but I needed her for this, so we’re just gonna handwave those away for the purposes of this fic.

“Is there anything else you would like to discuss, Commander Riker?” Counselor Troi asked. Riker was just finishing his debrief with her following his mission on Malcor III doing undercover research ahead of a first contact. It had been a more difficult mission, especially towards the end. Riker had known Troi long enough to plainly read that look on her face that said, “I can tell that something is hurting you, but I won’t push you to talk about it unless you’re ready to.” He felt his heart accelerate, adrenaline pumping into his system at just the thought of what had happened in that hospital. The part he hadn’t mentioned. He couldn’t bring himself to look at her as he explained, if he could even get the words out of his mouth; he wasn’t sure. 

“While I was trying to get out of the hospital, before that second beating I told you about.” Riker felt his chest clench up just thinking about it. He didn’t want to let himself cry about it. He took a couple deep breaths to help him stay grounded in the present. “There was this woman. I think she worked there, but I can't be sure because it was the only time I saw her. I guess she heard the rumors that were spreading because she came in asking if I was an alien. She offered to help me escape, but she had some conditions.” 

Riker couldn’t speak any more after that. His eyes were stinging as he sat there. There’s no way he could have told anyone but Counselor Troi or Captain Picard that much, and even with the immense trust he had in the two of them, that much had been a struggle to get out. It probably helped that it was only Deanna in the room with him. He still couldn’t look her in the eye, but he saw her feet move slightly as she adjusted in her seat, probably leaning in a little closer, but not too much. The sound of her breathing remained steady. She let the silence hang between them as he grasped desperately for the details that would keep him present in the here and now. When he started talking again, he could hear the tears in his voice. 

“It didn’t even work, Deanna! Her ‘help’ was what led to that second beating that almost got me killed! But I didn’t know what she would do if I said no. She had made a point of mentioning that she knew where the guard was. For all I knew, she would have told him I was trying to escape if I refused. I feel so used!”

Riker broke down sobbing at that point. There was nothing else he could say about it. If he even thought of the things he had done in that room at that Malcorian woman’s insistence, he thought he just might… 

The next thing he knew, there was a disposal bin in front of his face, just in time as he vomited up the pain he was feeling inside. He vaguely heard Deanna’s voice saying, “oh Will.” He wiped his mouth on his sleeve even though he knew he should use a towel or something. He felt all dried out after that, especially in lines down his face where his saltwater tears had evaporated. He tried to say more. 

“She said she had always wanted to be with an alien, and she insisted that I be that alien of her dreams.” His eyes were fixed on a point on the floor a couple feet to the left of Troi’s shoes. He didn’t want to think anymore. 

Counselor Troi pauses before replying. “I can’t imagine what that was like for you, Will, but I can feel how painful it is for you to remember it.” She shifted in her seat, and Riker saw her legs move with that shift. “We both know that there are sometimes things that happen that take more than one visit to work through, and it seems to me like this is going to be one of those. Do you think so?”

Riker nodded. He wasn’t ready to work on this anymore. Not today. Just telling her about it had taken everything he had. He tried to project that to Deanna because he couldn’t get the words out, but he wasn’t sure at first how successful he was in this state. 

“Very well then. Let’s work on getting back to where you can fulfill your duties until the next time we meet, and then I think we can call it a day.”

**Author's Note:**

> Let’s be super clear about what happened in that scene in the hospital. It was rape, and it needs to be addressed. This fic is ultimately just what I needed to get my feelings about that out, and now as I go into the back half of TNG as I watch it for the first time, I’m just gonna have in my head about Riker the fact that he’s been through that. I haven’t looked yet if anyone else has written anything dealing with this, but this is my quick contribution.


End file.
